Dedicated To Buford, In Memory

Home is our place on Mesquite Road. Our part of the Valley isn’t fancy like Beaumont Hills, but who would want to live anywhere else? For one thing, we’ve got the canyon out back, open country that goes on and on, plus more lizards, javelinas and coyotes than you could shake a stick at. That’s something humans say, but I’ve gotten lots of sticks in my mouth and could have shaken them at all kinds of creatures if I’d wanted. Once I actually did shake a squirrel. Was that bad? I was so surprised I’d caught the little bugger, first and only time!

Another good thing about our place is that my bowls are in the kitchen. And then there’s Iggy. Iggy’s my pal. He lives next door with this old couple, Mr. and Mrs. Parsons. Not too long ago they got an electric fence and Iggy had some problems with it. Now he doesn’t come outside, just watches from the window, which was what he was doing when Bernie and I drove up. He barked and wagged his tail. I did the same. Iggy barked back and wagged some more. I did the same again. We could keep this up for ages, me and Iggy, and I was looking forward to that, when he suddenly disappeared from the front window. A few moments later he popped up in the side window. Maybe he could see me better from there or maybe – what was this? Now Iggy had something in his mouth, possibly a bedroom slipper. Yes, a bedroom slipper for sure. I wanted badly to take it away from him, but how could I? So when I heard Bernie saying, “For the last time, Chet, get in here,” I went bounding into the house.

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97 Responses to “Dedicated To Buford, In Memory”

Memory!… Now Buford has a little bit of THAT all for himself….sniff!…I wonder what will happen to me when I have to follow Buford….snuffle!…ah well, my friend will remember me. Once she turns that big plant around, I’m sure she will remember me…heh!

Trees!… Today someone here gets to go have lunch with her friend from the farm and then we are going to the “Festival of Trees”….grunt!…We have done this every year since we moved here….sniff!…These are not trees that I can go up to and leave my mark on. Oh No! I learned that one real quick the first time around…heh!

Thank you Spence. Buford was well loved, and we are glad he is immortalized on The Quilt.

Beautiful, non-windy but cold day here. Barb is going to take the neighbors for Chinese at lunch today, as a thank you for helping her out. Diane (Tolby, the Maltese's mom) has been coming over every morning to open the pull-up hatch door on the chicken coop. That is the only thing that has to be done that Barb still can not do.

Melanie, that photo of OTAS and F could be used as an engagement picture for the paper, if they do that out there. I bet you took it!

Yesterday our little bitty town of Lena, Illinois made some local history. Our football team just won the state football championship in the 1-A Class (smallest school division). First time in school history,and they beat the other team by over 30 points.

Barb didn't really get into it, since her kids didn't go to school here, but it was BIG!!!! Half the town went down state for the game, and believe me, there will be huge celabrations!

I'm a Bad Kitty. For the first time since I've been here I chomped on a poinsettia and I had to stand on my back legs to get to it. Mom gave it to a neighbor. Mom says my attitude is too Siamese but that doesn't compute. I'm only one Kat.

I totally understand where Bluecat was coming from. I tend to want to find out things for myself. I am not trusting by nature or rather by past experience, so I don't take everything as gospel. Somebody told me pizza wasn't good for me, but after a little research, YES, IT IS! It makes my teeth and tongue happy in a way that kibble just can't match. So, bluecat, you are NOT a bad kitty, just a curious one. Oh, no, wait, didn't I hear somewhere that curiousity, uh…extinguished the cat? Oh dear…..

It's 28 degrees here and anything below 30 is good for making snow. They plan to stockpile this snow until it warms up into the 40's at the beginning of next week. Later next week it will be cold enough and they will blast away, hoping to open by the weekend.

Two years ago we had 7 feet of snow a week before Thanksgiving. It was only the second time Holiday Valley had been able to open before schedule but it was so nice.

Stover!… I guess so. They are indoor trees and look different from the outdoor trees and way different than our little bitty Christmas tree…snort! …. For someone who always wants to see our photos, we never ever see any of your photos…grunt!…Don’t you have a digital camera?…sneeze!

Dawson!… It’s that place we go every year after Thanksgiving to get in the mood for the next holiday…grunt!… It’s a bunch of trees indoors that everyone gawks at and all kinds of other stuff that I’m not allowed to sniff or even go near….grump!…I don’t know why she insists on dragging me along. All I want is the car ride there and back again…snort!

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everybody. We had company all day Thursday and couldn't even take a minute to read the posts and stories. Yesterday, Mom tried to read the posts at work on her Iphone and immediately started crying reading about Buford. (We are so sorry for your loss, KirbyT and family) so she put the blog aside to work and just this am is getting caught up.

Great pics the last few days. Beautiful scenery and a beautiful couple! AND we did not notice a dirty stuffed animal in SiberH's pic and we think the pile looks small so more stuffed animals should be on his Christmas list along with that snow gun!

Mom and Dad had to make the same decision about little Sammie yesterday. We had not had him for 15 wonderful years, and it still is tough on the heart. He fought a good fight, but in the end, could not win the war. We are sure that he is rubbing up against Buford's legs on the "other side" of that rainbow bridge.

Hopefully, all of the plunderers will have good times and health to post about for the remainder of the holiday season. This year has been hard on a lot of us, and happiness, goodwill and laughs are needed.

On a better note, the first true cold front made it all the way to Houston yesterday. It actually hit freezing last night and there was frost on the ground. It makes it more fun decorating for christmas when it's not 80+ degrees.

Gus and Boo Bear. We are so sorry about little Sammie. But he is in good company with Buford, and with many other creatures connected to those on the blog, including Bear, Jamielee and Kelly Green who we learned about from Dan Montague's wonderful For the Love of Puppies, as well as Rio's old friend Cassie. Whether with us for a long or short time span, it's so difficult to say goodbye to those we love and care about so deeply. I still miss my best friend Casey very much, but knowing that he was there to greet Buford and Sammie too, makes it a little bit easier to deal with. Wookie

Wookie, Barb wants your dad to know that she just got another Tony Hillerman book at the library yesterday. She finished First Eagle, The Fallen Man, and now has Hunting Badger. Those are all in the Leaphorn/Chee series, and she thinks they are really good. Thanks for telling us about them.

Barb is leaving for Chinese now. She is going to do a tiny bit of Christmas shopping too, and then she will need a nap. BBL

I am glad that you tried to help Sammie and I am sure he felt the love during his last days before the Rainbow Bridge. I bet Fatty Kitty is up there bossing er, teaching the new arrivals all they need to know about the other side of the rainbow.

As long as they respect his naptime of course.

I know Staff is always thankful when she can help a Dog or a Kat. And she once helped an immature Red-Tailed Hawk. Her cousin Mike helped a Cooper's Hawk that got iced up. He had to use a hair dryer.

Barb and Maggie. So glad to hear that Hillerman is turning into such a hit. He has a very readable writing style and is a terrific storyteller as he weaves the Southwestern Indian culture into his stories. He reportedly was a real gentleman in life too, and well respected by his fellow mystery writers. He died about 2 years ago, so no more Chee and Leaphorn novels are in the pipeline, but his collected body of work is outstanding and lengthy, so there are a lot more books for Barb to read if she is so inclined.

Macy, I'll have to check with my fashion consultant (mom) on the ascot thing and get back to you on it, but thank your dad for the suggestion.

B. – After you put your photos on the PC, you go below the "Submit Comment" button to "Upload Files." Then click on "Browse" to locate the picture. The picture stuff will then come into the comment box so wait for it to appear and then Submit.

Stover — Mollypop explained it very well. Just one final thing. Sometimes it may take the picture stuff a minute or longer to appear in the comment box, so you need to wait and not lose patience. This is from someone who isn't always good at waiting and has been known to lose patience waiting for the picture stuff to appear. Wookie

Mom doesn't like to brag, but she is somewhat famous for her English Toffee. She would love to send a small box to everyone as a token of Christmas cheer. If you would like to receive a box, please send your snail mail address to: marya@stcg.net

G&BB and family – please know we're sorry with you about little Sammie.

2010 has been a such roller coaster year for the blog. Here's hoping December will be quieter, so we can concentrate on friends and family and movies like National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation", which is almost memorized in this house…not inspiring, but funny!

Such sad posts here the last two days, Buford and now Sammie. So sorry to hear about both of them.

But the humans seem to be more healthy this week, that's good!

Thanksgiving dinner went well thank you B, my dad dressed the turkey but i did all the other bits and pieces and cooked it all here. The pumpkin pie was great! I had to be very restrained and not have it for breakfast.

Back!… We are finally back and I am exhausted…grump!…And damned hungry as well as thirsty…snuff!… Luckily all the kids were busy with craft stations or getting their faces painted to bother much with me…heh!….Where’s my supper!?…dammit!

Dumb!…I just realized that I said something that was totally Wrong this morning…grunt!…It does not happen often but here is my mistake….sniff!… For some reason I thought the post dedicated to Buford was from ThereBy Hangs a Tail…snort!…Dumb! Right at the bottom it says From To Fetch A Thief…sniffle!…Sorry Buford, I messed up….grunt!

Movie!….I finally got fed and now we are settling in for the evening with a movie that she says she has not seen in probably well over 20 years…snort!… I have never seen it. It is called, How To Murder Your Wife with Jack Lemmon…wheeze!…So far his life is perfect. He is a very rich, single cartoonist who acts out all his comic strip stories..heh!

Thanks for all the good thoughts, guys. Hopefully, that is the last sad note for the plunderers this holiday season. Wolfie, we will definitely be sending an snail mail address to you. Thank you so much. Mom would send out something if she could cook, but instant mashed potatoes isn't much to brag about.

Christmas movies are standard around here during December. We also start with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation….because Mom & Dad almost live it!! This whole weekend is dedicated to putting up lights outside. This is the first Christmas in the new house so some experimenting is going on. So far it looks pretty good.

Liz, what did your turkey wear? I thought it was nice your dad to dress it, even though it no longer had a head.

Mom is at The Big Orange Box, and she must be getting tired since she did not turn the computer off again. I have looked low and low for another charge card, but no luck. We can send each other virutal gifts, like a virtual snow machine that makes virtual snow. (I do not think that is what mr. husky had in mind, however.)

Are you gonna go, Molly? Take pictures if you do. That would be so much fun. I'll start running extra laps around the snowless dog park to practice.

Maybe my vet's nephew will be there. The nephew lives in New England, got one Siberian, got a second Siberian, and then got a few more. Then he bought some land in Maine to run the dogs on. It's addictive.

Mom is on vacation until Monday morning, but your addresses are safely stored in her inbox.

Macy, I could blur by but Mom seems to have a trust issue. The last time we attempted a blurry drop off, there was nothing to drop off. Somehow or other, Someone ate it on the way, and it was mighty tasty! So, now she is sticking to the USPS.

Rio, sometimes we see a lady walking 4 pugs down the street past the dog park. Actually, they are walking her instead of her walking them. I'd like to make friends with them, but the lady won't let me near them.

Walking!….Those four guys were out walking in front of the human?…grunt!… I am usually lagging behind and being drug along…grunt!…This is an interesting concept indeed…snort!..Maybe if I lose a few more pounds and gain more muscle I can walk in the front like I should be doing!…Goal! Maybe I have a goal to obtain the Walking In Front status!… gruff!… The wintertime is so hard to have a regular schedule though…hmmm!

Hey all, I will catch up tomorrow. Obviously, many things have happened for all of us this weekend, the good, the bad and the "not so pretty."

Wölfie, your mom will be hearing from us, but I'm on the wrong computer right now.

OTAS and OTAS'F should be back in NJ now. They left during the "sunny skies" we were supposed to be having. But MollyPop and Sam sent us some Lake Effect snow all the way from were they live. We had about an inch (not much for here) and as soon as the two were down off the hill, it cleared up.

YSAS and GF are still here. We all went up to a summer camp with Mac and Patsy. I'll post a picture of YSAS and GF and of Patsy in her red vest. Quite beautiful, and then the wind picked up and the snow started. The dogs loved it.

Dan has been having some health issues. He is now back in the hospital, but one near us for now. He looks healthy, has good color, not dehydrated, O level is great, the pneumonia is in the right lung. He has a normal temperature and normal blood count, but he does have a pain in his left side that makes him not breathe deeply.

Or that could be the other way around, pain in right side and pneumonia in the other.

So we are waiting on tests. He's getting the help he needs, Zoë is getting rest, and I've lost my brain somewhere.

MinPin!…I’m glad you explained your comment!…snort!…Sometimes you are just off the wall and I cannot make sense of what you are referring to without the help of Molly. my interpreter…heh!…This time you did explain yourself!…sneeze!

Oh, a funny story. OTAS and F asked a family friend to officiate at the wedding (May, 2012, she's a planner that F!) He and his wife were up last night to for family time and then settle in to find out what kind of wedding they wanted.

Whoops. Let me rephrase that. What kind of wedding OTAS'F wanted, because OTAS said just tell me what to wear and when to show up.

So we're talking wedding and having a great time. The younger generation males were in the other room doing MANLY THINGS. But OTAS started hanging around in the room. Then he got closer and closer. And being so nervous that he was messing around with stuff in the room.Then he started talking about what he could wear, and some music choices and doing a great deal of listening. A good time was had by all.

EXCEPT somehow in his nervous activity, he managed to set it an alarm clock for very early this morning. At 4 am I heard Ros running up and down the stairs whimpering and went out in the hall where I could then hear the alarm.

Before I got downstairs, it stopped. I have no idea how long it had been going off, but Ros did NOT approve.

Don't you guys 'dress' turkeys?? maybe it's an expression that is meant for something else and it has become scrambled in my brain… Unlike what we're all now picturing, tutus, leg warmers, bowties etc, it means getting the turkey cleaned out, stuffed, tied up – you know, getting it ready for its big occasion.

I wonder what i'm thinking of??

B – it's a long time since i was at the VG museum but from memory, it's large but manageable. I suppose because he died young and was so troubled i thought his output was smaller than it really was. Anyway, it's a real treat to see so many altogether. And easy to do in an afternoon.

Rio, how about just walking along beside your friend. That is the way I walk with mom. She says it is one of my finest traits. The lady that is walking those 4 pugs has absolutely no control over them..the leashes get tangled up, and we are afraid we will be calling an ambulance for her someday.

Melanie, our thoughts are with Dan and your family. I hope they can keep him close to home.

Melanie – good thoughts coming your way from here in Chevy Chase regarding Dan. Glad he is in the hospital, pneumonia can be tricky and nowadays too often people are left home to cope with an illness such as this that should be observed by health care professionals. Know you and pack miss him but hopefully he'll be home and healthy very soon. Debbie

Scrambled!…Oh my…heh!… Liz, we here have heard Martha Stewart say “Dressing the Turkey”….grunt!….So pay no attention to those below the Dixie Line, meaning Texas…snort!…Dressing a Turkey is a well known phrase and I bet if the Kat Klan ever wake up and post today (again) they will reaffirm this information…wheeze!

Wild!…Hey, The Wild from Minnesota are playing the Avalanche from here in Hockey…heh!…Aves ahead by 2!…sniff!…She works with a young fellow who is an avid Wild fan. He even flew to Switzerland or some Land to watch them practice before the season started…grunt!…He told my friend he even got to Eat Lunch with the Players…heh!…He is a FANatic. The thing novels are written about by great authors and then turned into crap movies…gasp!

Liz!…Heh. Please do not give into the gruff! way we Americans talk about everything…snort! …If you want to say ‘Dress a Turkey’, go ahead…sniff!…Don’t let some miniature pincer tell you what to do, just because she does not understand your dialect…grunt!

LizF: Turkey dressing = turkey stuffing. Stuff a turkey = dress a turkey. Same thing. A rose by any other name… Field dressing is a different animal altogether. I'll dress a turkey but I won't field dress a turkey!

Melanie: You and Zoe try to get some good rest. Dan too, although he's not where he wants to be.

Rio: I do think some 2 leggeds get addicted to pugs, because often I see more than one pug leading a 2 legged around.

Good point, R, next time i'll say it's a local Aussie thing and leave it at that!

I'll just googled miniature pincer, that is one cute dog.

Hey Cricket attacked a pug the other day, not sure why – well, when i say attacked… he was wandering around off leash and without his person, out front of his house, so she had harsh words at him about leaving me alone. I thought he was really cute and had a lovely little husky voice, quite soft compared to Crick's. Is yours like that?

Liz!…I swear I have not been anywhere near Australia this weekend….grunt!…She’s had a tight rein on me for 4 days going on 5…snort!… I don’t know about the voice thing, I’m more of a “Yeep” high pitched sort of guy when I really want something. – like cookies…heh! ..When I am not begging and just gruffling around, my voice is a lot lower, I guess…sniff!..She says I snore a lot, but I don’t believe that for one moment!..,humphf!

Re-Run!… With the apologies to all the others who have already read this story, I present it again for Liz. grunt!… It was first written to cheer Melanie up at the beginning of Dan’s illness this past summer….snuffle!…maybe it will help again this time around?…snuffle!

Cassie The Butt Sniffing Dog!

When I was just a pup, my friend also had another older dog. She was so great! She taught me lots of tricks on how to get way more food than one could imagine. Her name was Cassie. My friend called her Miss Moo, because she was so fat and she was black and white spotted like a cow! No surprise there!

Anyway, there was one trick she could not teach me because I was so short. Cassie was a Butt Sniffer. Nothing she liked better than to sniff human butts. She could sneak up behind any given person and sniff their butt for as long as she wanted and they never knew. She had a very gentle touch, just like a pickpocket.

Well, many a morning my friend would drop me and Cassie off to be looked after by her mom and dad while she worked. Nothing gave me more joy than to see ole Cassie lift up mom’s bathrobe unbeknownst to mom, and sniff her butt! Literally lift mom’s bathrobe up and get right up in there! Heh!

One day!…HA!.. I will never forget it, my friend was there to pick me and Cassie up from her mom and dads house when their lovely neighbor, Jo, came over to ask something quick. She was wearing a skirt! Right in front of my friend, her mom and me, Cassie snuck around back of Jo and lifted her skirt up and Sniffed her Butt!

Jo had no idea! It took every ounce of strength we all had not to burst out laughing right there! Cassie also had great timing she knew when to abandon the task. When Jo left we were all on the floor laughing our butts off!

Molly!…Your were the one to tell my friend to go back and get her MISSING Exacto knife…grunt!…Well, this weekend she spent over an hour at Michaels on Black Friday trying to get some stuff she needed for her new obsessive craft…sneeze!…When she got home the Beads she’d bought were NOT in the bad!…growl!…We are starting to think this is a conspiracy and a way for the stores to make more money…dammit!…So be warned, watch that ALL your stuff gets put in THE BAG, before you swipe the damned credit card…growl!.snarl!yeep!

MinPin!..I win?. Was there a contest?…grunt! … What are you talking about this “permanently” stuff?…The “dressing:” joke was misunderstood because you were making fun of someone else’s normal speech…wheeze….Do we make fun of your Texan accent? NO…so why make fun of an Australian accent , I ask you?…grump!

Rainmaker! ….Over now! Off to bed, and I will be on the Big Bed…heh!…Because it is cold outside and I am cold inside. I need to snuffle my way down under the covers to the end of the big bed Or Else!…wheeze!

I was not making fun of anything. Some dogs do not understand everything like yourself. I thought the turkey was wearing clothes. Perhaps you could grow some manners instead of just expecting everyone to put up with your nonsense. Others DO have feelings, and you are NOT the center of the universe, or even the blog. AND I don't think that your opinion of me represents the entire blog. Others have troubles that you know nothing about, heartaches and illnesses too personal to talk about here. AND you made my mom cry. Bad dog Rio, bad dog.